Economy in Brief: 2008

The August National Activity Index (CFNAI) from the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank dropped sharply from July. The reading of -1.59 was its lowest level since the last recession during 2001.The current index level was then associated [...]

The August National Activity Index (CFNAI) from the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank dropped sharply from July. The reading of -1.59 was its lowest level since the last recession during 2001.The current index level was then associated [...]

The upward pressure on the PPI abated for one month but the longer term momentum is still very clear. The PPI headline fell by a harp 0.5% but that index is still up by 8.1% year-over-year and at a faster pace over three months and [...]

The upward pressure on the PPI abated for one month but the longer term momentum is still very clear. The PPI headline fell by a harp 0.5% but that index is still up by 8.1% year-over-year and at a faster pace over three months and [...]

Ironically even with the second strong month of sales increases the three-month growth rate for retail sales in the UK is plunging. Barometers and surveys of retail sales have been weak, so the rise in each of the past two months was [...]

The flows in credit markets in Q2 make us wonder how the US economy grew at all then. Never in the history of the Federal Reserve's Flow-of-Funds data has there been such a sudden dramatic plunge in credit demand. Domestic [...]

The Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank indicated that its September Index of General Business conditions in the manufacturing sector improved sharply. The index reading of 3.8 was up from a revised -12.7 in August and it was the [...]

The composite index of leading economic indicators, reported by the Conference Board fell 0.5% last month after an unrevised decline of 0.7% in July. The decline left the six-month percent change at -2.1% which was modestly improved [...]